In 2023, many films were released that were loved by millions of viewers. Masterpieces from world-renowned directors filled theaters and grossed staggering amounts of money.
Next, we’ll tell you about 5 new films of 2023 that have already raised hundreds of millions of dollars and continue to break box office records.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Global total: $217,115,000
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” can appeal to two categories of people at the same time: those who have never experienced this video game franchise and those who are its big fans. The first category of people will get a good horror movie with a rather interesting plot and characters (it’s hard to forget the animatronics Freddy, Bonnie, Chick and Foxy), and will also experience a few creepy moments that are based on surprise rather than tension. The second category will receive a movie adaptation of their favorite game, which they are happy to forgive all the flaws and plot holes.
The biggest mistake of the movie seems to be that the creators did not quite understand what exactly fascinates people about this series of video games. In FNAF, it’s not the main characters and their story that come first, but the pure feeling of tension, doom, and hopelessness. In a video game, screamers are just a brief release of emotions after being in a state of constant expectation of something terrible. The movie, on the other hand, often neglects to build this tension for the sake of comedic murders and plot decisions that seem to have been cut from another movie.
Nevertheless, Five Nights at Freddy’s is well directed, has a great visual style, the animatronics were created really skillfully and close to the original, and the plot twists will surprise not only first-time viewers but also fans of the franchise. We are looking forward to the sequel – it will definitely come as a surprise, given the huge success at the box office.
Read more: review of the movie Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Global total: $119,133,000
The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Critics even then called Scorsese’s drama the best film since Taxi Driver. The film is based on the documentary book of the same name by journalist David Grann, published in 2017. However, Scorsese’s film, a fictional story, focuses primarily on the story of absolute evil fueled by cynicism and indifference and the insecurity and loneliness of the little man.
For three and a half hours, the director tells the story of the murders of the indigenous population of North America, the Osage Indians. Oil was found on the barren lands where they were relocated by the US government. Because of this, the Native Americans were practically exterminated. At the same time, the director tells us about the formation of the FBI.
Perhaps this is the strongest and toughest film about the genocide of the Native American population, the only drawback of which is the timing. Although this is not accurate.
If we avoid spoilers, it is worth mentioning the brilliant acting. The director limits the dramatic tension by making evil an everyday occurrence. And this is both the strength and, at the same time, perhaps the weakness of the film. The simplicity of the narrative fascinates and mesmerizes with the banality of evil and its impunity.
Read more: review of the movie Killers of the Flower Moon.
After Death
Global total: $9,022,025
This documentary tells the stories of people who have experienced clinical death. It also shows the analysis of these events by authors and scientists who are trying to determine what happens after people die.
The stories told in the movie are not entirely touching. At first. They are examples of incredible trauma, of enormous pain that can define a person. These stories are told by co-directors Gray and Chris Radtke with the emotional tact of summer blockbuster trailers: overblown strings, quick cuts, and heavy reconstructions with special effects that take up most of the budget.
The narratives are sometimes awkwardly assembled so that we learn a little about one story, only to hear another, and then hear another. The internal interviews show us how intense their respective pain was or how complete it should have been. Their experience becomes our untidy spectacle.
Radical
Global total: $7,816,858
The students at the brutally run Jose Urbina Lopez Elementary School in Matamoros come from a depressing environment full of violence and have some of the worst academic results in all of Mexico. Teacher Sergio Juarez finds an opportunity to try a different approach with his sixth grade class, despite the fact that he has little idea what he is doing. His unorthodox teaching style helps students learn and inspires them to reach their full potential.
Priscilla
Global total: $5,310,093
The film is based on real events from the life of the star couple described in Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me. The former wife of the King of Rock and Roll also became the film’s executive producer.
Priscilla is 14 and in the 9th grade at a new school in Germany. The girl’s stepfather is an officer in the US Air Force, so the family is forced to move constantly. At a snack bar on the military base, Priscilla is approached by a man who claims to be a friend of Elvis, who is currently serving in West Germany, and invites her to a party at his house. It is the first time they meet: this meeting will start a 14-year-long story full of love, adultery, drugs, expensive gifts, concert tours, and the search for her own identity.
Coppola’s name is associated with the concept of “female optics in cinema”. The term “female gaze” was first used by the American film critic and feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey in 1975. The “female gaze” is a response to the phenomenon of the “male gaze”, which, in short, is based on the perception of a woman from the point of view of a male character, director and viewer. In this case, she most often acts as a love interest, an object of contemplation, and gains significance through the man’s assessment.
